2018 musical summary: breaking out the comfort zone

I began 2018 with only one operational hand because of an injury that forced me to face the drumkit as an one-armed and left-handed for a couple of months…but always look at the bright side.

Just as I recovered, my friend Manuel Morales -composer and pianist- offered me to record drums and percussion for the project regalatumusica. Nobody expected me playing a latin oriented song, a synthpop hit, an indie theme or a bossa nova. Mission completed.

A few days later I played for the first time as a live percussionist for Megara’s live premiere of their new album in front of a sold out theatre. After three years without hitting the stage, being there without my drumkit was kind of odd.

And I came back to the stage offside again, this time with Teething “singing” the outstanding Doomsayer by Hatebreed with my friend Luis in a duet, and the achievement was registered as a bonus track in their new EP “That Night We Regret“ just released on december 21th.

Following with the percussion, at the end of the year I joined the folk band Aegri Somnia, where I went deep into a completely unknown genre for me, having to learn skills to play new instruments such as the square and traditional tambourine or the spoons. I played my first gig with them in december, coming back to the stage without drums again, but already tasting the relief of not packing, transporting and setting up the instrument…

As a last minute cherry on top, Pedro Cristobal (my dive instructor and musician in Speed Limit Cruiser) counted on my to record a rockabilly song for his compilation project gathering songs about Madrid. Fair intrusion.

However, already as a drummer in a safe place for me with double bass drumming and rhythmic acrobatics, I’ve been writing and recording during the year -and together with a great musician- an extreme and experimental metal EP which will be released soon. Bendy roads again!

Meanwhile, my students have developed great improvements breaking out their comfort zone too, facing new techniques and beats in every class which dared their coordination until they became triumphant.

So, this year ends full of accomplished musical challenges, with new instruments and genres which made me evolve and made way to the next sonic adventures during 2019. We keep on working